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Perfect Air Fryer Salmon + VIDEO

I would have never guessed making salmon in an air fryer would have produced the most tender and juicy salmon every time. I promise this Perfect Air Fryer Salmon will become your new way to conquer salmon in the kitchen.

I have to admit, I was totally, totally against the idea of purchasing an air fryer. And not just a little bit against it, but really, really against it. I figured an air fryer was going to be another small appliance we rarely used. Who else has lots of those?

And not only did I think we were not going to use it, I especially did not want another “thing” on my kitchen counter. Extra stuff on my kitchen counters is really one of my pet peeves. I really despise anything being dumped on them, whether it’s mail, car keys, computers…take them to your room and keep them there! But that’s a rant for another day.

Anyway, I really did not want this new appliance and felt it was going to be a waste of money. However, my husband kept insisting on getting one and he finally just pulled the plug and ordered it even though I was not feeling it. I’m so glad he did not listen to me.

Are Air Fryers Worth Buying

Air Fryers are really kind of ugly and this one kind of reminds me of Darth Vadar’s head/mask thing, but oh my gosh, it’s the best appliance ever. Yes they are worth it! There are lots of air fryers out there, but I do particularly love my air fryer. In fact,here are the best-rated large capacity air fryers available and mine is always among them. If you can grab this air fryer for under $150, you are getting a great deal. In fact, you can read the 5-star reviews on this air fryer here.

In the air fryer, everything comes out crispier, juicier and always perfectly cooked in an incredibly short amount of time. Tatar tots in the air fryer are the best. Chicken in the air fryer, breaded or not is so juicy, tender and delicious. Even ribeye steaks are awesome in the air fryer and I can’t even believe I was willing to try that. Anyway, you get it, it’s worth every penny.

There is no preheating time and the cleanup is very minimal. The air fryer locks in all the juices so you barely have any mess to cleanup. It even makes the perfect crostini toast. I would not recommend an air fryer smaller than a 5.3 quart, it would just be too limiting.

Do Air Fryers Really Work

Look at that beautiful flaking of the salmon after being in the air fryer, it’s absolutely perfect. So, yes, they really do work in producing the best tasting food.

The air fryer locks in the juices as it cooks and rewards you with the perfect tasting salmon.

For your air fryer salmon, you’ll want to use fillets that are the same thickness. These were both
1-1/2-inch fillets. And they were out of the fridge for about an hour to warm them up.

Since my boys fish for salmon every summer, all of our salmon is wild caught and still has the bones. I find the bones are easily removed with needle nose pliers since they do not tear apart the fish.

How To Air Fry Salmon

Here are the salmon fillets in the air fryer basket. It’s best not to crowd things too much. All you have to do is place the salmon fillets in the air fryer basket and turn on your air fryer for the appropriate amount of time. It’s that easy!

Does An Air Fryer Brown Food

You can see how beautiful the color is when they are finished, not to mention extremely juicy and tender.

Salmon has been on the menu a lot more since I started making it this way.

When you reheat food that’s been cooked in an air fryer, it remains juicy and tender, as if the juices were locked in…it is amazing.

If you’ve been waiting to get an air fryer, I hope this propels you to make it happen. Please check out my other air fryer recipes here.

Perfect Air Fryer Salmon

I would have never guessed making salmon in an air fryer would have produced the most tender and juicy salmon every time. I promise this Perfect Air Fryer Salmon will become your new way to conquer salmon in the kitchen.

Instructions

Remove any bones from your salmon if necessary and let fish sit on the counter for an hour. Rub each fillet with olive oil and season with paprika, salt and pepper.

Place fillets in the basket of the air fryer. Set air fryer at 390 degrees for 7 minutes for 1-1/2-inch fillets.

When timer goes off, open basket and check fillets with a fork to make sure they are done to your desired doneness.

Notes

Notes: One of the beauties of the air fryer is that it's so easy to pop something back in for a minute if you want it cooked longer. You can also open it while it's cooking to make sure it's not overdone. I always set my timer for a little less so I can check on how things are coming along so I don't overcook an item. Things cook so fast sometimes a minute more is all it needs.

Times for cooking will vary for salmon based on the temperature of the fish and the size of your fillets. Always set your air fryer for a little less time than you think until you become more used to the timing of your appliance.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Perfect Air Fryer Salmon

Amount Per Serving (1 fillet)

Calories 288Calories from Fat 170

% Daily Value*

Fat 18.9g29%

Saturated Fat 2.6g16%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8g

Monounsaturated Fat 10.3g

Cholesterol 78mg26%

Sodium 80.6mg4%

Potassium 52.5mg2%

Carbohydrates 1.4g0%

Fiber 0.8g3%

Sugar 0.3g0%

Protein 28.3g57%

Vitamin A 1135IU23%

Vitamin C 2.5mg3%

Calcium 25mg3%

Iron 1.4mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

Before you know it you’ll be buying a sous vide stick! (But they’re small and you can put it in a drawer) It’s my new favorite gadget. Easy to use and perfect results. It’s the only way I’ll poach eggs anymore!

I’m going to try the salmon.
We’ve been using our air fryer to cook chicken wings. No breading or deep frying. Healthy. Cook on 390 for 25 min; take out and pour any sauce you like. Put back in to crisp up about 3 to 5 min more. Delicious.
We’ve made 20 in a 6 qt fryer. Great for a party.

I bought an air fryer. I’m Almost 84 I love the things I can do in it especially fish and chicken thenders. I am so glad,I bought it. I bought it with gift cards my kids gave me fo Christmas. Best Christmas gift ever’

I bought my wife one. She and I both love cooking with it. Everything from pork chops, steaks, grilled shrimp, cod, salmon. All come out great. Fun in the kitchen experimenting together. We got the xl capacity Secura from Amazon. Love it !!!

Tried this recipe tonight for the first time and it was awesome! So quick and also moist and delicious! Didn’t want to heat up the house by turning on the oven and now I’ll always make salmon in the air fryer to save time and enjoy the benefits!

I cannot wait to try this recipe, and I will let you know how it goes. Before I try this I have one question…I have never seen a fish recipe where they mention the skin. I usually take my off after a few minutes of cooking it. Should I take the skin off of the salmon before I cook it?

I keep the skin on and the fish slides right off the skin once cooked. Most salmon sold in stores have the bones removed. We fish for our own salmon here in the Pacific Northwest so bone removal is on us.

If cooking something smelly in the air fryer, like fish or even brussels spouts, you can put a cookie sheet on top of your stove and place your fryer on that, and use the air fryer with your vent fan on.

We re still overwhelmed at how quickly and perfect salmon can cook in the air fryer. In fact, almost anything cooked in the air fryer always has come out wonderful. After our air fryer brussels sprouts recipe tests, we started experimenting more with this fantastic way to cook. It s a great way to get dinner on the table, especially for two after a long days work.

This looks great! I usually buy my salmon from Vital Choice Wild Seafood in Bellingham, WA (since we live in Boston, MA) and the fillets arrive flash sealed and frozen.
I thaw them out in a pot of cold water and that sits in the refrigerator for most of the day.
I’ll definitely leave it out for the hour ahead of cooking as you suggested. I could eat this fish raw I like it so much, so the worst thing that could happen to me (which happens with salmon in restaurants most of the time) is for it to come out dry!
I look forward to following your postings.
Burgess

This recipe is AMAZING! Will definitely be added to the weekly rotation in our home. I am an avid home cook and this is the best salmon I have ever made. The way the air fryer cooks keeps the fish so moist and delicious. Highly recommend! Thank you!

I usually don’t review recipes but I had to tell you my story because you’ve changed my attitude about Bella, my air fryer, completely! I boughtair het when air fryers first became the rage. I didn’t want to invest more than I had to in something I wasn’t sure I’d use so Bella is an entry point girl. No fancy stuff on her – a simple temperature and timer dial is all she’s got. The first thing I made in her was a disaster. It was chicken tenders and I’m not sure what I did wrong, but I’m pretty sure it was everything. Though I’m sure the fault was mine, and not hers, I banished Bella to a dark closet and pretty much forgot about her. In the meantime I purchased an Instant Pot and Bella became just a bad memory. Every once in a while, when I’d spot her gathering dust on the shelf, I’d feel a twinge of guilt and think I should give her a second chance. I did that tonight using your salmon recipe and my faith in the air fryer is renewed. It was delicious – flaky, flavorful, perfect. My husband hates the fishy taste that salmon can sometimes have so I soaked the filets in milk overnight. I cooked the recipe almost exactly as directed, using grapeseed oil to coat the filets and mixing 1 tsp. each of smoked and plain paprika with the salt and pepper to season. We used a pineapple habenero sauce to glaze after cooking. It was devine. Thanks for restoring my faith in air fryer cooking. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes and more air fryer cooking in general!

Will be trying your salmon recipe soon, but a couple I enjoy are to make a mixture of lemon juice (squeeze one lemon) and/or lime juice, and minced garlic and blend it in a small blender to liquify it and then pour it over the salmon filets, then add salt and pepper (I use a smoked chili sea salt combo in a grinder) and let them sit for 30 minutes to an hour before putting them in the air fryer. The other option is to dice up red and yellow peppers and cook them in red wine or an olive oil vinaigrette dressing and add salt and pepper to taste, and then pour that over the salmon and let sit to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking.

This looks delicious! I recently bought and air fryer, however it does not have a basket, it comes with 3 trays and a cylinder that turns to make french fries etc. Can I still follow the same directions?

Just made your recipe, and its delish. I bought my air fryer today and was able to try your recipe on 2 fillets for tasting and fryer testing. Amazing! Made 5 more! Thank you again! Btw: for the thicker fillets, I sliced through the middle halfway to allow the lemon juice and spices inside.

I am in America so all temps are Fahrenheit. That is usually included so it might have been left off by mistake. However, I’m sure if something said 400 degrees it would be more obvious that was not Celsius.

Delicious! Loved the salmon. Super moist and yet a nice crisp coating on the outside. I only recently jumped on the air fryer bandwagon and I can tell you I’ll never jump off…hahaha I love making meals without all the kitchen being heated due to the oven being used so the air fryer not only allows me enjoyment in cooking, but Im saving energy/electricity as well. Kudos for the inventor of this machine and kudos to you for a delectable recipe. This is a keeper recipe!

This recipe is amazing. So simple and so so good! Easy and amazing. Even my picky husband loves it. I made it two nights in a row for dinner, first using stuffing as a side dish (random I know but super good) and then the second night I used an Italian herb pasta as my side. THANK YOU FOR MAKING DINNER EASY AND GREAT WITH THIS ONE. 🙂

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